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Temporary changes to Phlebotomy service opening hours 

To help ensure that we are able to provide a safe environment for our patients and their families across all our sites, we have temporarily amended our opening hours at St George’s Hospital and Nelson Health Centre, to take effect from Wednesday 22 December 2021:

Lanesborough Wing, St George’s Hospital (Clinic patients only)

Monday to Friday (except bank holidays) 7.45am-4pm (last ticket issued at 3:45pm)

Nelson Health Centre (Clinic patients and GP referrals)

Monday to Friday (except bank holidays) 8am-4pm (last ticket issued at 3:45pm) and Saturday 8am-1.30pm (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).

Opening hours at our other locations, St John’s Therapy Centre and Queen Mary’s Hospital and for our Children’s Blood Tests remain the same, Monday to Friday (closed on bank holidays).  Please note that Dragon Children’s Centre, St George’s Hospital is closed to GP referrals on a Friday only, however St John’s Therapy Centre is open all day for Children’s Blood Tests.

General Information

Blood tests are used to help diagnose your illness and monitor your treatment. We understand that some people find them unpleasant and we aim to treat everyone with care, consideration, privacy and dignity.

Remember that we can only perform a blood test if you bring your request forms or order sheets with you. If your GP has referred you, please check that your personal details are correct on the request form. If they are not, please notify your GP. If you do not do this before arriving for your test, you may be delayed or sent back to your GP.

If your doctor has asked you to fast before your blood test please do not eat or drink anything except for water on the day of the test.

Please tell the phlebotomist if you have had any problems with previous blood tests such as feeling faint or if you are taking medication that thins your blood such as warfarin or aspirin.

When you enter the blood test room, a member of staff will check your forms. One blood test request may require several different tubes of blood but these can all be taken from a single skin puncture.

After the blood has been taken, you will be asked to apply pressure to the site to minimise the risk of bruising and a dressing will be applied. The dressing should be removed after 30 minutes and you should avoid heavy lifting with that arm for several hours.

A small bruise may occur after your test, due to blood leaking from the punctured vein and collecting under the skin. This is normal and will disappear after a few days in the same way that any other bruise does.

The phlebotomist is trained to take your blood but not to discuss your blood tests or medical condition.

Most blood test results are returned to the requesting doctor within a week. Results are not returned to the blood test room.

We try to see everyone as quickly as possible and our aim is to ensure that no one waits longer than an hour but delays can occur for a number of reasons including emergencies. Our busiest times are in the mornings and on Wednesday afternoons, so if possible and your test is routine, you may prefer to attend outside of these sessions.

Appointments are not necessary as we operate a ticketing system and are open at the following locations and times: